‘Home Alone 2: Lost in New York’ is the best Christmas movie, actually
If you were directing a sequel to a breakout movie, tasked by the big studio overlords to essentially remake the original film with double the budget, what would you do? Sam Raimi pulled it off with Evil Dead 2 (1987) by going all out with black comedy, splatter effects, and a raving Bruce Campbell while retelling the same story beats of the original. Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015) essentially retells the original beats of Star Wars (1977) with a glossy new skin and a Disney budget to great effect. Now, in true holiday fashion, we see Chris Columbus do the same with the sequel to the family holiday comedy Home Alone (1990).
In its essence, Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992) is a retelling of the original story with the glossy skin of the Big Apple layered over it, with the stakes and horrors created by Macaulay Culkin’s Kevin McAllister dialed up to 11. Kevin is no longer left behind by his family over Christmas to fend off against a pair of maniacal bandits trying to rob his house. This time Kevin creates a house of horrors like something out of Saw (2004), luring a couple of buffoons to their torture fro trying to rob a toy store on Christmas Eve.
Director Chris Columbus realizes that some times, you don’t need to change what isn’t broken. In lieu of changing the formula of Kevin getting by on his own over the holidays, we get spectacle. The house is replaced with New York landmarks like a Central Park and the Plaza Hotel, and instead of doing the laundry, buying the groceries, and other activities a 10-year old child would dread, Kevin commits credit card fraud to stay in a five star hotel.
What does change is Macaulay Culkin’s always unappreciated performance as the ever-lost Kevin McAllister. He isn’t a wee kid who is afraid anymore. This time Kevin has no fear. He is smart and ruthless towards his foes and he uses his cunning from the original film to have his way with the unfortunate citizens of New York City who dare get in his way.
For it isn’t the return of the (also great) Wet Bandits played by Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern who incur Kevin’s wrath. There are some newcomers as well, mainly in the management staff of the Plaza Hotel. Tim Curry turns in a great villainous turn as the Hotel Concierge, aping off of the Grinch in a hammy and vibrant role. Where these minor villain subplots in holiday film could feel like filler, Curry and Culkin’s interactions make it a joy to watch. Something to keep us going while awaiting the main event.
So when bandits Harry and Marv are finally caught by Kevin in the toy store robbery, they foolishly and hilariously go through the house of horrors for another Christmas hell world. When they remember the tricks Kevin had in his sleeve from the previous film, Kevin pulls out an ace and pushes it to the torturous extreme. They were previously hit by an iron? Throw bricks at them. Flamethrower to the head? Make the burst bigger with gasoline. Nail through the foot? Just fucking electrocute them. The lovable idiots are not match for Kevin’s maniacal dungeon of despair.
And what does Kevin get out of it in the end, once the bad guys are caught and is reunited with his family yet again? A lovely Christmas in a penthouse with toys and a giant Christmas tree to spare. For it is Kevin McAllister’s world and we are just living in it.
